Acceptance

Accepting an upsetting situation means not being caught up in distractions that prevents you from accurately perceiving the reality of the situation and then taking constructive action. For example, if your significant other leaves you or hurts you in some other way, you do not get caught up in anger or resentment or jealousy. Caught up in these emotions means your attention is directed to those feelings. You are not attending to what is going on around you, for example, that you have close friends who would comfort you. When you accept an upsetting situation you are not engaging in blame, self pity, or struggling to make it go away. You are not hiding from your unhappiness by dwelling on the past or the future. In acceptance, you admit that you are unhappy because of the situation and decide to change your attitude by becoming mindful rather than becoming distracted.